By Ross Jackson
Many approaches are available to the New Orleans Saints following the news that starting quarterback Derek Carr may not be available for the 2025 NFL regular season.
Even before the surprising development, the Saints were often a team penciled in to select a quarterback in this year’s NFL Draft. However, some are advocating that the Saints skip out on this year’s quarterback class entirely.
This would make me personally less likely to draft a QB at #9 rather than more
Just bite the bullet with Rattler/Haener and go get Arch https://t.co/8Gcrsk3cuL
— Mike Renner (@mikerenner_) April 12, 2025
Doing so, would effectively hand the steering wheel for 2025 over to second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler, who saw six starts and seven appearances in 2024. While all of those appearances resulted in losses, the team has openly defended Rattler. While stating that there are needed improvements to his game, both general manager Mickey Loomis and head coach Kellen Moore acknowledged the circumstances he was under being thrust into that role with an injured roster during a rookie season.
No guarantees in 2026’s class
If the Saints end up going the route of passing on this year’s quarterback class, it would be no surprise. It would effectively imply that the Saints feel they can compete with their second-year passer if they put him in a better situation than he was in last year and if they can drive his development.
However to some, It’s a risky road to take because of the uncertainty at the position in the future. While the 2026 quarterback class is expected to be better than this year’s, there’s no guarantee that it will be. Texas Longhorns passer Arch Manning is often pointed to as an option for New Orleans, but may not enter the draft next year. LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, son of Saints quarterback coach Doug Nussmeier, is a popular option as well.
Penn State’s Drew Allar could have entered the draft this year, but after the Nittany Lions came up short in the inaugural 12-team college football playoff, his decision to return to school became solidified.
Nussmeier and Allar are both set to come out next year, but the unpredictable nature of the sport still has some wrinkles that could be thrown.
Taking a quarterback at No. 9 requires certainty
The right thing for the Saints to do this offseason feels like taking a quarterback at No. 9 overall. But they should only do so if they are absolutely certain about a prospect’s potential to be the future of the franchise. Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Ole Miss passer Jaxson Dart have often been discussed at this spot. But rolling the dice on either without being absolutely certain you believe in that prospect would be ill-advised.
A late-round passer could be in play
The Saints could then invest in a passer at a later point in the draft, providing competition for the starting role alongside Rattler. At that point, driving development of both passers, which is far from a bad idea. But with the middle-class of quarterbacks in this class having so many glaring question marks, that path may not be seen as an advantageous one inside of facilities.
The risk of not investing this year
New Orleans could, instead, choose to bolster their roster elsewhere and saddle up with Rattler or an unlikely veteran addition for 2025, looking to go back to the market in 2026 or beyond. Doing so would require the Saints to land multiple starters at other important positions in order to truly maximize the opportunity. A stellar year from whichever quarterback is called into action wouldn’t hurt the eventual outlook of this approach either.
If the organization goes the route of ignoring signal caller in this draft this year, they’ll have to be okay with the idea that they might miss another opportunity in 2026. As that class’s talent, health and prospects are far from guaranteed.
